Intimacy and Its Discontents | An Essay On Evangelion's Human Instrumentality Project

The Hedgehog's Dilemma tells us that the paradox of human intimacy lies at the heart of Evangelion. But how does this relate to the confusing Human Instrumentality Project, on the one hand, and Shinji's depression, on the other hand? On first glance, the two seems opposed to each other. The former wants to unite all souls into one while the latter wants to be radically alone. Another problem is how do we theorise and connect all of this with Evangelion's overt references to concepts from philosophy, psychoanalysis and theology?Are they merely pretentious?
I think we cannot do away with these difficult theories. At the same time, however, I think we must avoid the common pitfalls of interpreting Human Instrumentality. It is clear that it is definitely not a conspiracy theory, as Alex Jones would have it. Neither is it a religious prophecy or the Gospel of the Next Century. Neither is it simply a euphemism for suicide.
Instead, I think that Human Instrumentality is the realisation of all of our desires. My wager is thus that truth of depression is none other than the Human Instrumentality Project. They are just different sides of the same coin. Different solutions to the same problem: the hedgehog's dilemma. Gendo and SEELE tried to annihilate the gap with the Other by making all of us One. Shinji tried to run away from the Other widen the gap through total isolation. And yet, both of their outcomes are the same: pure nothingness.
That is why to Shinji's great astonishment in The End of Evangelion, Rei tells him that: "This is the World You Wished For." Therefore, what is the solution to the hedgehog's dilemma? Well, ask Frank Sinatra. ;)
▬ Chapters ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Introduction 0:00
The Hedgehog's Dilemma 4:05
The Pleasure Principle 5:35
Introjection & The Oral Stage 7:50
Cathexis 11:14
Nagisa Kaworu, AT Field, libido and Eros 11:28
The Compulsion-to-Repeat 16:55
The Drive or Trieb 20:09
Komm, Süsser Tod 22:40
Ayanami Rei, destrudo, Thanatos and the Death Drive 28:24
The Primordial One is Nothing 30:10
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom 32:30
The Sickness Unto Death 34:53
Self-Image or Ego 37:25
'Me'-Recognition is always a Misrecognition 39:38
The other or Other? 42:34
The Split Subject: The Self That is Seen and the Self Observing That 46:50
Jouissance 49:37
The 'Real' You, or the Freudian It 52:18
The Symbol or Signifier That is Me! 53:15
Symbolic Castration: By Piloting the Eva, I Can Be Me 55:37
Entry Plug: 'An Empty Vessel For A Soul' 55:36
僕は僕だ! Iʼm Me! Saussurean Differentiality or Hegelian Determinate Negation 1:01:00
The Hollow in Our Hearts: objet petit a 1:04:53
'Love is Destructive' 1:07:36
Rest of the chapters, including the conclusion, can be found here: • "This is the World You... .
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Hey there, this project is finally completed after a year of re-writing and editing more than a dozen scripts and video drafts. Sadly, I am still unable to escape KZbin's flawed copyright system. The original video is about 1 hour 40 minutes long which includes the concluding chapter which is around 30 minutes. KZbin has copyright blocked this part, hence forcing me to remove it completely.
Please check the following links below:
Full 1h 40 min Video: drive.google.com/file/d/1uaFG...
You can read my essay in PDF here as I have made formatted it into a book for an enjoyable reading experience and referencing purposes: drive.google.com/file/d/1YS0X....
CREDITS:
All Music and Soundtracks can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/1Gl-R....
Complete citations are in the pdf of my essay but you can still ask me in the comments for specific ones :)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Massive thanks to my friends Mahmood, Weeab and Nezakki. They were kind enough to check on my progress and encouraged me to not give up. Without them I would have lost confidence in myself. *sigh why do we always criticise ourselves so much today? This is definitely the Freudian superego at work! Also thanks to Vuv and my sister for listening to my ramblings and frustrations. Even if they do not understand what I'm talking about, our discussions helped me organise my thoughts. And lastly, thanks to you guys on both KZbin and Instagram for supporting my works since the beginning. This video is for you and thank you for waiting for more than a year! I hope it's not too difficult though, but I'm positive that Evangelion fans are passionate enough about philosophy and psychoanalysis. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments section!
Further acknowledgement, I owe my understanding of Hegelian dialectics to Maximilian Kostka's video. His visual animations made it easier to understand the dialectic: • Hegels Dialektik erklä... .
#evangelion #neongenesisevangelion #theendofevangelion

[@kiwicfruit]

Hey everyone! The wait is finally over! I am still unable to escape KZbin's copyright system D:: so please watch the remaining clips on the following links: Conclusion part: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYDbh2eFntWrqac Full Untrimmed Video: drive.google.com/file/d/1uaFGaAwjSmG49crXlX6puEmlAwbdx1wn/view?usp=drivesdk Script in PDF: drive.google.com/file/d/1YS0XY1ktnSnRSN9pj4Tsy9psYzMYrJwO/view?usp=drivesdk Sorry for the inconvenience but after trying out several options for the past 2 days, this is the only way. I will not be doing anymore of such long-ass videos any time soon. it's very exhausting so I will just do small and silly reviews from time to time. I will be resuming my studies. Thanks for the support and don't hesitate to discuss down below!! [Edit 14/12/2022] KZbin decides to block my video due to copyright music but won't let me know which company issued the claim as it is still "hidden by the meta database". The only solution, thankfully they have it, is to mute the music while still keeping my narration. Some of it doesn't work like in 32:30-35:00 all of the audio has been removed by YT. I'm really sorry for this so please turn on the subtitles!

[@corinnekelley8133]

You did AMAZING!!!!!!

[@HikiOmo]

My favorite interpretation of evangelion before I even watched it someone said was: "The moral of the story is go outside, oh my god."

[@hasbug223]

This and After The Flood's "Understanding Evangelion, or The Gospel of a New Century" are by far the two greatest video essay on youtube and it's so criminal that you two don't have at least a million views.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you very much for your comment! After The Flood's video was amazing as he dived more into the specific interpretations on the scenes and plot. I feel honoured to be put alongside and compared to his video so thank you! I guess not many people have the time and patience to learn philosophical theories as they want ready-made answers, so that might explain why I have little views hahaa... I also generally don't use excessive clickbait titles and thumbnails cos it's not really my style, but the good side is that I will slowly reach audiences like you who are attentive and patient enough to watch my videos and that's more important and valuable to me than a million views in a single night ;;))

[@o0Hidden0o]

After checking up on the channel, I gotta watch it. There’s is only one singular video. If something inspires you to go out there, do something new, and difficult to share your introspection and then never again touch the medium it must be a massive cumulation of effort and passion.

[@ArchiduquesaMA]

Also “the weight of expectations” by OniMaru

[@deanshirley2327]

Watch "the desire to not exist" by Clark Elieson, one of the best I've ever seen

[@Esandeech2]

This essay answered a lot of the questions I had about ‘The Human Instrumentality Project’. It seems I am not intelligent or smart enough to grasp many of Evangelion it’s aspects, so I’m happy people dissect the things I have trouble understanding. Thank you for your efforts, I appreciate it.

[@kiwicfruit]

Sorry for the really late reply, I spent the last days thinking of how to reply. Thank you for your words and Im really glad my essay helped demystify Eva's Human Instrumentality Project! I think you shouldn't feel unintelligent enough to understand Eva (I myself felt that too when iw as writing this essay, i thought most of what im writing is nonsense compared to other people's work). And, you're welcome mate ;)

[@boylettuce1458]

i am 8 months late to this comment but i dont think it is fair to say that you are unintelligent enough to understand EVA. many anime fans will definitely make it feel that way but i don think its true. EVA doesnt make itself easy to understand to begin with which makes it easy for everyone to draw their own conclusions. whether theyre superficial or substantial depends heavily on who the person is, but all are valid conclusions to come to. not many people delve so deeply into psychology either, and that in and of itself is already a difficult thing to grasp in the first place. i think that where you were before this video, and perhaps many others, was undoubtedly Enough

[@Esandeech2]

@@boylettuce1458 feels like that to me. I am very insecure about my ability to understand complex plots.

[@boylettuce1458]

@@Esandeech2 honestly same but i also think that what we do conclude is also important

[@WorstAbaYT]

@@Esandeech2 Hey, I think you underestimating and calling yourself names for not understanding complex plots is a pretty unreasonable statement. I thought about myself that way, too, but from personal experience the more you watch analysis videos like this and keep trying to comprehend complex things in general is going to develop your ability to form an opinion and read between lines, just don't beat yourself over it and enjoy the things as they are, it's not necessary to get everything from the first time to see subtle sub-texts in stories, I really suggest watching stuff like Serial Experiments Lain or manga like Oyasumi Punpun and Vinland Saga, it's really eye opening once you grasp the themes by yourself, have a good day my friend.

[@katisdreaming]

As a philosophy major, this is huge. Eva has been the most influential and important piece of media I've experienced, and to have the two woven together in such a thorough and overarching way is incredible. The philosophy of evangelion flows so deeply throughout every element of the show, and its exciting to see someone go through all the effort to collect and condense it all. Im glad to see more people opening up to the depth of the show, and its thanks to people like you :)

[@kiwicfruit]

As a comrade of philosophy, Im glad that you found this video helpful and philosophically insightful too. Thanks for your comments!

[@Vrishti-oq4sm]

I really liked the quote by Hideaki-san in the beginning, as It sort of seemed to validate my interpretation of it. Evangelion is an anime that tries to tell you what already know but refuse to truly believe. My interpretation goes like this: In all the three universes, Kaowru dies by getting his head blown off. In the rebuild movies, I felt it wasnt entirely necessary to kill him off when he had the ability to remove the death collor. I might be because Kaowru is the person we sometimes think we need in order to become better, whos always positive about us even after we've messed up in the worse ways. We seek a person who can console us in our worst time and make us a better version of ourselves. But this a purely idealistic person, who puts us above themselves and always think about us. No person can be like that, but we wish we had someone like that at our worst and loneliest times... By killing off Koawru who actually seemed to have 'fixed' Shinji while je was there. Its as if theyre saying that you have to get ip yourself instead of waiting for this ideal person cause that might never happen. True happiness os something only you can seek for yourself. People can help you get there, but its you who makes the decision to become better and change. Btw I love it when fellow Eva fans share their interpretation and your essay was definitely one lf the best Ive seen! 💕✌️

[@mrproducer2115]

I've been consuming Eva fan content for almost 20 years. One of the things I love about this franchise so much is that just when I think I've surely heard every original and/or well-expressed interpretation, I find something new and compelling. This video was probably the single best analysis of Eva I've ever experienced. The full 1hr40mins flew by. As much as I love the show, I've always suspected that its meaningful connection to the thinkers it references was a little overhyped by the fandom. Now, I think that connection may actually be *undersold* by the fandom. My next viewing is going to be so rich thanks to this context, thank you!

[@solal_ww]

It's a shame that KZbin cut that much of the video. I really appreciate your work and the time you put into this.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you very much!! Will try my best to avoid KZbin's copyright system next time.

[@Esmeyippie]

Another thing that ties into Sigmeund Freud Is how Shinji's mother is notoriously absent and is the key aspect of his evangelion,and hell even Rei herself. Yet his only parent who is present,his father,he absolutely despises. Playing even more into the idea of the odipus complex,while the mother is the first object of affection,the father is the first object of hatred.🫠

[@toastybowl]

Does the audio cut off at 32:40 - 34:55 for anyone else ?

[@brunobucciaratiswife]

Yes, just turn on the captions

[@YoungMule]

Eva has become a recurring Rorschach test for me in my seasons of transformation. I cannot escape the depth of meaning that this story presents. After watching your essay, I’m at once filled with awe and despair. Awe in that I have learned so much and can actually empathize and understand so much more of this story than I have in the past. Despair in that deeper understanding lies atop an arduous summit. Some things said in this essay by yourself and great philosophers hit my heart just right but barely register as discernible English to my ears. I guess I must also ramble and find patient ears so that I can sort through these ideas like you have. Thank you 🙏

[@frewtlewps1152]

A Rorschach test is a perfect way to describe Evangelion. I feel like I understand the series and characters in a different way depending on how I view myself.

[@auro6136]

This is one of my favorite Evangelion videos on KZbin. It's interesting and discusses many things that other Eva videos don't.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you very much! :)) glad that I was able to offer a new perspective on Eva

[@INFERNO95]

It not that difference from other Eva videos.

[@mr.ironic95]

@@INFERNO95It's ok to be wrong 😊

[@wasd____]

Most other videos don't look through the lens of Freudian psychology because Freud isn't considered reputable anymore. His ideas, while important stepping stones to getting us closer to more useful psychological research, aren't validated by that research when it tests them empirically. It would be a much more interesting and relevant video if it looked at Eva through better supported models of psychology from today.

[@Skythikon]

@@wasd____ Empirical science should not serve as the model of psychology, because the strength of empirical science is in cutting out subjectivity and only caring about what is objective, what can be measured and confirmed by other researchers. The study of the mind has already failed its task if it seeks to become an empirical science, because of how profoundly silly it is to strip subjectivity out of the study of the subjective. The study of the mind should take as its object all mental phenomena, not merely those mental phenomena that can be quantified.

[@zoso9391]

This should be read on universities. You were spot on about evangelion giving a path to end depression. In my darkest moment I always come back to it somehow. This time it was on this essay. And let me tell you that even when I got mostly 8/10 on all my psychoanalysis classes, I knew that most of the time I was just "improvising" my answers to fit the exam but in reality I didn't fully understand it. You put everything so clearly that I think this whole video should be a must to fully understand Freud, Lacan and also Evangelion as a whole. Thanks a lot for making this

[@josephdial387]

The show helped me out of it.

[@ragingsaviorkami9862]

​@@josephdial387 Didn't quite help me entirely, but it made me better understand myself, my shame, my dreams and stuff. Most of my depressed life, I've been fueled by jealousy and the feeling of abandonment(despite having a loving family, but I struggled with making friends since forever, and also got bullied and cast out for my entire school life, pretty much) and this helped me understand that better.

[@threateningcrow]

I love listening to people explain the meaning behind NGE, when I first finished the show I thought "waow that's a cool robot show." so it's so interesting to see all the influences behind it + the role in psychology that each character plays. thank you for making this video, I learned a lot and it was great to listen to while drawing asuka 🙏

[@kiwicfruit]

Thanks!! And good luck with your Asuka drawing!

[@ChicagoMonsterPunk]

That was fascinating. Thank you. I’m glad you mentioned Hegel as well. I think he’s essential for a complete understanding of Eva.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you very much! Glad that someone is familiar with the works of Hegel hahaa. He's actually one of the reasons why I made this video as many people have unfairly dismissed him since they base their reading of Hegel through Kierkegaard. And yet Kierkegaard's anti-Hegelianism turns out to be very Hegelian, especially his theory of the Christian Fall. Another thinker that has been unfairly dismissed in Eva analyses is Freud which is kinda sad and unfortunate as Freud taught us many important things. I know I still have a lot to learn from Hegel but I'm happy u liked my analysis!

[@boonga585]

Extremely well made I can see how much time u put into this

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you very much!!

[@jaxsgamesiguess9731]

1:08:45 broke me, i was passively listening to this excellent video playing with legos and it made me think of my crush who I confessed to a few weeks back, we’re close friends bestie friends I haven’t known them for a whole year just yet. But with the time and experiences i have had has brought me to the conclusion that they would be someone who can depend on me as i can depend on them. I confessed to them and they asked “why me”. I complemented them endlessly and written about every positive and negative thing i know about them. I don’t think they get what I truly mean though. I can’t force feelings for them, and if it gets to a point where im wasting my time its okay because i’ll still have them as a friend. I want them as a partner because they have had nothing nobody to call good enough or the best. I want to selfish have that title as the best oerson they have every been with and keep it until death due us part. I dont want to be two halfs i dont want them to be my phalis something that personifies my entire identity. There is only me and they don’t see me.

[@rodryalcocer]

Try to see yourself in them. In others.

[@santerihuida4215]

I've been reading a lot of philosophy this year, and I keep coming back to this essay, since I think you manage to explain a plenty of philosophical concepts in an understandable way, so it is quite helpful. I hope you are doing more similiar projects as this, you do have the knack for it. Keep it up!

[@Retro_oo]

Not only is this video excellent in its analysis(can‘t overstate this!), but it also hits the marks with funny moments without compromising the serious tone. Simply brilliant. Well done.

[@medbeth9857]

What a privilege it is to witness something as perfect as the work you have presented. Putting Eva aside, such a thorough and pertinent essay has the power to inflict change and leave a non negligible impact on an inquiring listener. Bravo.

[@devilish7534]

I know i'm kinda late but this is the best nge video essay i have encountered. I was literally hypnotized and it made me understand the anime so much better. Really really cool, thank you!

[@ahmadalaqib8148]

This feels and looks way more high quality then your channels sub number gives this is something that should be a million views video good job on the research and editing and writing this is phenomenal

[@edvindjapo8368]

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😊❤😢😢😢😅😢😢😊😊❤😢😢

[@riader]

this video essay is a literal masterpiece

[@zackery658]

The entire chapter “Anxiety is the Dizziness…” is muted 33:10

[@iloveash8533]

Art imitates life, evangelions instrumentality exists everywhere

[@toastybowl]

I was going to absolutely lose my mind if this didn't go into Lacan, & point out that Kojeve's reading of recognition is not Hegel's. 😺 Thank you for getting it.

[@StoneEdge555]

I've seen plenty of video essay attempt to analyse Evangelion through a psychoanalytical lense but never quite like this. Fantastic work!

[@miguels.b.2749]

One of the best analysis I've seen so far... It's really important for me because I'm trying to fight depression and melancholy, I'm currently fighting with PTSD as well as other things inside my head, I'm also in a relationship that feels... Like nothing. I have to thank you so much for this, not only this was interesting, but also really helpful to understand myself and to find the key to help me out of the cage. I just subscribed to your channel, I wish to see your next projects. Thank you very much, and take care!

[@nabieladrian]

I found this video by an unimaginable sheer amount of luck, and by God I'm so glad to ever see this work. Thank you for making the world a better place.

[@rachmiraina]

this is hence one of the best evangelion explanatory videos on youtube, glad that i found this video which not only explain the chronology of evangelion in itself but the symbolic meanings behind it. love your interpretation, it really goes well with the concept of evangelion & i learn much more than i expected. thank you! also kudos to you

[@noided583]

We're making it out of the existential spiral with this one boys. Jokes aside, thank you so very much for this. I sincerely appreciate the amount of effort and attention to detail that went into this essay - and as someone with negligible amounts of knowledge on psycho-analytics and philosophy, this proved to not only be legitimately informative and well constructed, but the information itself was disseminated in a very digestible way for me. Which is a massive fucking W for my adult ADHD having-ass. Loved it, liked it, shared it and subscribed. "Congratulations! 👏"

[@Gravytyforce]

This is an incredible video. I really appreciate you taking the time to detail the psychological and philosophical origins of these ideas, explained in such a concrete means. Thank you again.

[@santiagojara8056]

IT WAS NOT ABOUT THE BUDGET! That has to be the biggest piece of misinformation in the anime community. If the budget was an issue EoE would have never existed. The budget thing is a lie brought forth by people who don't understand why the ending looks the way it looks. The only real constraint was time.

[@kiwicfruit]

Did not know this and thanks for pointing this out!

[@ludwin9313]

Well done. An essay worthy of Anno. I especially admire your use of the show's score. Congrats.

[@danfarias07]

What a ride! Gonna be rewatching this for a long time. So much to think and learn. Thank you! Cheers from Brazil!

[@latonitobonito]

One of the best video essays Ive seen. Great work.

[@belbeziousd1327]

This was eye opening in several ways, and I thank you for making it

[@meowzers3276]

This is a masterpiece of a video, probably my favorite introspective on Evangelion ever

[@Ryan_possibly]

Honestly the world of Eva was doomed from the start if the kids don't fight the world ends before instrumentality but if they do their psyche will be so damaged as to put the one (as in the objective of the Human Instrumentality Project) that is dependent opon their own mental state in jeopardy

[@santerihuida4215]

This was great! I've been using this as a reading list, finished The Civilization and it's discontents and Beyond the Pleasure Principle, probably continue with Schopenhauer next. I had no idea that the hedgehog's dilemma was a philosophical idea, I watched Evangelion when I was 14 and that's what I vividly remember, most of the other stuff I didn't understand, besides the fan service of course. There seems to be some audio issue with this video at the 30min mark, the full version on Google Drive works perfectly though. Hope you will make more content in the future! Video essays are the best thing that came with KZbin.

[@kiwicfruit]

Ah yes, unfortunately KZbin has copyrighted that section of my video :( I explained this in detail in the pinned comment btw. Will definitely upload more in the future so look forward to that and thanks for your support!

[@ManuelMorales-11]

This video gives me the chills that I got on my first watch of Evangelion, this is a very well made video!!

[@athenamarina]

wow that really resonated with me, thank you for making this video it was so interesting and really captivating

[@josephdial387]

I love that even now Eva inspires cool videos like this. Great use of the shows music.

[@Error7703-br7bi]

I was absolutely blown away by the video!

[@jamestiotio]

While After The Flood's video uses a "literary analysis" approach to dissect NGE and its symbolisms, you used philosophical and psychoanalytical theories proposed by experts, supported by evidence from NGE scenes and quotes to make your arguments. I really appreciate both approaches as their different lenses highlight different aspects of NGE. This video also feels like an elaborated and more "formalized" argumentative version of Wisecrack's video on NGE, which felt more like a "summarised" version (nothing bad with both approaches, of course). Thank you for putting in the work for this video. Although I am not a formal psychoanalyst, philosopher, or social scientist by training, I had some experience writing humanities essays in university and hence, I can somewhat understand that using relevant theories to support the arguments that you are making while keeping the video's flow coherent and not bland required a lot of work. The references to and explanations of the various theories (as well as the memes) are much appreciated!

[@kiwicfruit]

I think you're spot on in describing the different approaches between After The Flood and my video. His great video is definitely more towards literary or film analysis whereas my video can be viewed as an essay, or even a short book if you want to. Thanks for your comments!

[@mikoajdominik6583]

Honestly, this is one of, if not the best video essay on Evangelion I've watched. Like, I love Eva, so I've watched maaaany analysis of it. But this one makes it both simple, obvious and straightforward, and infinitely more complex. Everything said here is explained so well even though it's really abstract and confusing. I've even been using this as a basenote of my own essays. I'm really thankfull it was made ♥

[@krishagarwal2403]

The amount of details is commendable. Proud of my boy

[@kiwicfruit]

thank you very much!!

[@Hepheat75]

This is a really well made video. I enjoyed it.

[@aqualucasYT]

Welcome back Kiwic, I always wanted to hear an Eva piece from you and my wish is now complete, thank you

[@kiwicfruit]

I'm glad that I was able to fulfil your wish ;) hahaa and thank you Aqua Lucas too for anticipating it! It really means a lot to me

[@kiwicfruit]

@Chaim Mendel I think Aqua Lucas was referring to my year-long inactivity in this channel

[@Wh0s_F3rn]

This video was amazing !!! Great job you did wonderful!!!

[@MarielleVL]

this deserves more views, its excellent!!!

[@dirtplay898]

i only needed to see the thumbnail to know this video was gonna be good, the image of the arms of those two reflect a lot of how their relationship is, im glad i found this video

[@gerniyy5579]

Loved the rei chikita insert around 38:35

[@kiwicfruit]

Glad you found the easter egg hehe ;))

[@TehScareM8]

I'm currently 22 mins in and know I'm watching this to the end, brilliant stuff kiwic

[@camcam794]

You make these philosophical concepts very easy to understand, while also bringing it back to Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s very impressive! This video was very digestible, and i really enjoyed it!

[@Neurota]

I come back to this video often. Hope there’s more to come!

[@kiwicfruit]

Will definitely upload more videos soon! And thanks for your support :))

[@mugenRYU]

thank you! i enjoyed learning about this!

[@user-vp4tz1rd8r]

Amazing work, thanks for this. Loved what i learned

[@seagat9582]

Marvelous Video Kiwic, you're talented !

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you!!

[@oshawottdude1011]

This has to be my favourite Eva essay ever!

[@madeofshavings]

This is the best piece of eva content ever made. I imagine anno watching this just going “yup. yup.”

[@qmac9966]

What a good quote to start the video with

[@chimchim5684]

great video ! I really like the little memes in the editing giving a little break from the intense subjects :) the only "negative" comment I can make is the drops in sound quality and for some reason the absence of sound in the 'anxiety is the dizziness of freedom' part :/

[@kiwicfruit]

Glad you liked the little memes hahaa. And yeah sadly, KZbin has copyright claimed my video and forced me to either remove the part that has been copyrighted or mute the music (but keep the narration). I did the latter but somehow KZbin also muted my narration, hence the complete silence on the "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom" section. On the bright side, someone said that the abrupt silence actually fits the topic because it creates anxiety and unease for the audience lol.

[@plushoyo]

This is a great video. I think it accurately, in as much as that word can be used, the aw(e)ful nature of human nature especially in regards to intimacy - the impossibly revolting and enticing concept of knowing and being known. It seems to me that the only 'escape' is nonexistence; not sublimation of the self into the other or total isolation alone, not even suicide - but simply to never have existed at all. It seems I was doomed from the start.

[@koolmonkey102]

Thank you so much for this. ❤

[@MITWILLN]

Recently i watched eva and its end, and i find it exceedingly interesting that, despite using different examples, and having not seen this, i came to very similar conclusion and analysis (minus the kierkegaard connections), granted yours is much better articulated and presented, but still incredible to see others connecting similar things! And phenomenal work here btw

[@MITWILLN]

Oh and while I’m thinking of it, a brilliant demonstration of Freud and Hegel in Eva, would be this scene in the end of Eva, where Shinji in the human instrumentality project, is in a sexual pose with rei, and it can easily be enterpreted as Freudian, due to rei being not only an object of desire, but also a clone of shinjis mom, making her the ultimate oedipus analogy, and it being Hegelian, because rei is infused with Shinji in it, and how they are having the conversation about identity and how them together is a symbol for the universal, how in that stage they are the synthesis, between shinji’s inability to connect (thesis), yet his desire to get close with the other (antithesis), and them conjoined and fused together in sex is the synthesis as it affirms both yet creates a new mode which sublates their contradictions

[@Frogman1212]

It's insane that I'm always combinb youtube for Eva essays, and youtube still takes months to recommend this to me.

[@wellersonmelomota2858]

I don't even know how to say it, but this video is a masterpiece, thanks for the incredible work

[@aidenarechiga2994]

this is such a good video, im sorry you had so much trouble with copyright, this should´ve had a lot more audience

[@CoreVin975]

Honestly as a Christian watching this video, this has been a fear of mine when looking on to a "paradisaic" future. It's both a fear and a test for God. A test on whether or not he wants to bring us to a hellscape disguised as a paradise, or a higher plain of existence in which we escape out of the Cyclical (rather than Progressive) nature of the subhumans that we currently are. I've analyzed a lot of Freudian thought, and usually compared it with people like Soren Kierkegaard or Carl Jung, which is why I never really gave much thought to Freud's Views. Issue is, two things. 1.) I have never actually read a philosophy book, by any of these people, and instead I've mostly just watched videos about them. And while I could argue that I've been quite busy, that's not really an excuse, because now I have income and can finally use my money to buy these books. 2.) I have never even heard of people like Hegel. Although he did look familiar. And honestly views on "the it" and how both Kierkegaard and Hegel viewed the fall of man in the garden of Eden while not being foreign to me, I never really put figured out why Evangelion contained a large criticism of the paradisaic future. Up until now. And its almost as if I knew it all along. Your video literally laid out this entire criticism within Evangelion. According to people like Hegel and (I forgot what his name was. Lanan? I forgot) returning to paradise would be both a return to nothingness and a fulfillment of each of our desires. And it would also be a hellscape because escaping death would mean despair because it is the absence of end and the over abundance of life. This has proved to be very challenging for me. Evangelion changed my life for better or for worse in my opinion. It made me ask crucial questions about God and religion as a whole. And for a while philosophy and these questions made me depressed and even scared to a certain degree when it comes to God and a paradisaic future. However over time I heard input from my own religion, and wisdom from particular people like Jordan Peterson or Carl Jung (although the former is a person I like a lot less, even considering Christian thought). And from this I could hear theories and beliefs by people like Sigmund Freud, Frederick Niche, and many others when it came to there dislike and even hatred of religion and not really feel affected by it. Because what's ironic is that a lot of what they teach is actually what Christianity itself teaches, especially in Niches case. So I am unsurprised that when hearing this I am not only not as alarmed as 16 year old me would be had I heard this straight after I watched Evangelion, but also that I still have heavy faith and belief in being both a Christian and faith, belief, and love for God. These two things cannot be broken as far as I'm concerned. But issue is, this is the one thing I've been struggling with when it comes to religion. It has to do with the relationship that God and we have with Lies, Pain, and death. And honestly inspire of the fact that lying is both bad and wrong I do not believe that honesty should not be forced through a future in which if you sin once after the thousand years then you are deserving of death. In fact it is in my belief that if paradise we're to play out like it would the Human Perfection Project, then it would be a betrayal of God himself. But it would also contradict the Bible itself and the wisdom that it holds. The Bible teaches us that anywhere can be paradise, just as Evangelion teaches, so this is not a simply original idea that Evangelion created. The Bible also teaches us to face reality and make the best out of it by teaching the principles to live a fulfilling life no matter what circumstances we are under. So to give us a future in which pain, suffering, and death are swallowed up forever whether it is like the human perfection project or not would not only contradict the Bible but might render it meaningless. However I have faith that it won't happen. Instead, I have faith that us entering into perfection would mean that we would become prime humans instead of Subhumans as we are now. But even then there still lingers an ever going fear and concern not for the fact that we will be going into paradise, but a concern that a world without pain, suffering, and death would be an absolute nightmare. That's why when people ask me what I look forward to the most when it comes to that future is me actually being able to speak to God, rather than not being able to die or feel pain or be sick again. I want to discuss literally everything you've laid out in this video to God himself. Not only because we have faith, but because Philosophy is simply theories based on truth, not truth itself. And while I do believe a lot of what people like Hegel and Kierkegaard say about the fact that we cannot (or rather should not) return to the garden of Eden, I also understand that our human understanding of reality itself and the universe is still quite limited, so I don't think we should commit to saying that this would absolutely be what paradise would be like. This is also why I'm willing to give a being with near infinite knowledge the benefit of the doubt, ergo God himself.

[@medbeth9857]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I enjoyed reading and I am sure that many people share the same questions you present and enjoy seeing them so well formulated in front of their eyes.

[@acuerdox]

say, ever heard of Paul VanderKlay? also, be careful with these messiahs, remember that you'll know them by their fruits, Hegel wanted to save Germany, and so you see her, destroyed.

[@jamesspencer1997]

Have you read and CS Lewis? I would suggest it mainly Abolition of Man and The Problem with Pain, think they would be the most relevant to you (I've read both and alot more) I grew up in a military family that have also been Ministers and Theologians. My father was also a atheist for a time before he came to God and use to think there was no God and science reigned supreme. I've always thought if there are rules this is a sign of structure and order and a indication a intelligence is in play. Really enjoyed what ya wrote,I don't feel so alone as a Christian anime fan. Alot of anime contains references to Christian and faiths in general, I think this is due to faith being universal thru all mankind and time, and could be the greatest mystery ever.

[@jadenkelly316]

Bro you don't need to write a WHOLE BIBLE VERSE!😭😭😭😂😂😂

[@CoreVin975]

I'm definitely going to check it out now. Especially since C.S Lewis has been an interest of mine for a current story I'm writing that kind of works as a counterarguenent to Evangelions view of a paradisaic future. And because C.S. Lewis was talked about by a KZbinr named Pilgrims Pass. For now the way I feel about death, pain and lies, all going away under eternal life (No eternal life is not the same as immortality, you can still die) is still similar to Hegel's and kierkegaarsa view of it. But I haven't much examined C.S. Lewis's arguments for paradise. And when it comes to people such as Lacan, Freud, Hegel, and other atheists or just philosophers who don't deny the existence of God but incite it as malevolent I personally find there takes and understanding of the Bible not only as extremely contradicting and a huge form of misunderstanding, but also breathtakingly shallow. As are most atheist line of thinking.

[@nitrotypegod9598]

This is too much psychology for my brain

[@josephroehl9105]

its very difficult to take the first section seriously because its all being referenced to be quotes by a psychologist who used crack

[@kiwicfruit]

If I were to follow your train of thought then we shouldn't take Albert Einstein's theoretical physics seriously because he had an incestuous relationship with his first wife.

[@user-in7bu8jk8v]

crackheads just get it

[@BishopShotgun]

@@kiwicfruithe WHAT

[@Phoca_Vitulina]

Wow this is great! There actually wasn't evidence of running out of money though or bad direction.. one of their episodes had to be scrapped completely due to a real life seron gas attack making the episode unairable, which lead to a time crunch. I was wondering though, what font did you use? -like the NGE title screens font? Thanks! Love the breakdown

[@kiwicfruit]

Thanks for this information and someone in this comments section also pointed this out. I think the font is actually Times New Roman but I create the custom title cards from this cool website: kychou.net/eva-title/.

[@Phoca_Vitulina]

@@kiwicfruit oh cool, thanks for the link! that is super fun!

[@Pichukan]

brilliant. and thorough. thank you for this

[@kiwicfruit]

Thank you and you're welcome!!

[@theirongiants]

Evangelion to me is a self reciprocating story about self awareness. This self awareness often clouds a universal awareness of the world. A universal awareness is what we call 'understanding'. Intimacy provides an awareness of familiarity. Familiarity which we cling to in our hardest moments like escapism. The focal point of Evangelion [I mustn't run away]. I like to describe Evangelion as 'profoundly provocative', there's an emotional link to be had with the viewer to truly understand it/appericiate it.

[@sabojezles]

Amazing work!!!!

[@Cthoanut]

This is great high quality video

[@kutkuknight]

I find myself coming back to this every now and again. Do you plan on making more content in the future?

[@kiwicfruit]

Yes I will be uploading more videos soon! What I can say for now is that I'm working on doing a Re-upload of my Welcome to the NHK video which was blocked by KZbin. Hopefully it won't be taken down again!

[@santerihuida4215]

Thanks for putting the pdf out too, I just read it. If you have patreon or put the tip-button here, I'll throw a few dollary-doos your way

[@kiwicfruit]

No problem and thanks for reading the pdf version! I will definitely consider making a Patreon or something similar in the future. Good to know that you're willing to donate :))

[@jessepadar4449]

I have had similar thoughts and feelings but not so clearly that i could name them. Thaks fore the video, realy helped put toghether some of my thoughts little better.

[@sumikacel88]

If people could make essays half as good as this on the Rebuilds I'd be fine with them.

[@DrunkJester]

Sorry Im gonna comment early i watched Eva from day one and became obsessed, lost and confused but then came understanding. Im gonna keep this very short as anyone knows Eva's many themes but in the end to me it was embrace life and get out there and embrace it all rejections and success don't embrace a life of procrastination (media,drugs and other vices) but grow and share then take joy in death as you have lived a full life with as many little regrets. Well i haven't done even half of what i think i learnt but im gonna keep trying. And i will watch this in full when im in a better state of mind. Peace and love to all on this little blue ball.❤😊

[@jdlruo4593]

Muy bueno, amigo. Saludos desde Argentina🇦🇷

[@kiwicfruit]

Muchas gracias amigo!!

[@bristle2356]

Incredible video

[@Djiehh]

Nitpick on behalf of German being my mother language: "Besetzung" is in fact not the equivalent of the English term "occupation", that would be "Besatzung". But they are obviously very closely related.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thanks for this information! I relied on J.A Underwood, the Penguin Books translator of Freud's Masspsychology and the Analysis of the 'I', who wrote: "Freud eventually settled on the term Besetzung in 1895 to embody an idea he had been working towards for some time. The German word possesses a theatrical connotation (‘casting’, as an action as well as the outcome of that action) and a military connotation (‘occupation’). Both suggest ‘filling’ something (a role or a country) for a purpose. I hope to evoke a similar response in the English reader’s mind by extending the analogy into the realm of electricity and rendering Besetzung (here and elsewhere in this volume) as ‘charge’." The fault's on Underwood!! hahaa

[@potdeo2042]

I love the parts when I can get the most from this video just so you don’t step on the toes of franchise that has concluded because of 2 minutes of piano

[@oliverwidlak9500]

Most sane evangelion analysis video

[@micromacroooo]

Great video

[@BarrettBiggers]

Amazing video well done

[@ibukowski3863]

I'm very surprised you haven't used any Carl Jung in this psychoanalysis, but was still a great video none the less! Thank you for the content, was very well done.

[@kiwicfruit]

This might come to a surprise and disappointment to many people but I actually deliberately excluded Jung in my Evangelion essay. But I did started as a Jungian before and you can find its influence in my earlier videos such as the Dr. Stone analysis here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaW4aHSlfbKMf5Y. Looking back, there are too many problems with my Dr. Stone video, from video production to the theoretical content itself.

[@versus_bugs]

Hey ! I'm curious, how did you become so familiar with these psychological theories and knowing the exact passages in the writings ? Do you have an academic background ?

[@pancakes_go2940]

Right, I love this stuff

[@NIDER3]

OWOWOW HEY!! WHAT A AWESOME VIDEO ESSAY!!! +1

[@rodryalcocer]

Masterpiece!

[@hurler1348]

Great job!

[@raslipmugfrud2040]

Shinji slaps on the cello

[@ferriusnillan5323]

What if the reason we seek this feeling, that is akin to nostalgia, is for the sake of comfort, rather than more abstract items that were implied before? People seek comfort of having what they want, which is in turn a mix of outer stimulus, culminating in self. So in turn, its a comfort of reassurance of own existence, enjoying the living in broader term.

[@kiwicfruit]

Thanks for this comment. I think it's a good point. If I were to give a short answer I would say that yes it's definitely for the sake of comfort. I should have made it clearer that not all forms of nostalgia is bad. It's alright to look back at some precious memories. I think the problem I see is when we get too fixated on repeating the past and then become unable to look forward to other things, or to look for something in the past that was not even there in the first place, but was reconstructed retroactively. An example of this is the Rousseauian return to animal life and infancy before "corrupt" civilization. People like Chris McCandless has infamously attempted this. Another more common example I can think of is the nostalgia for high school life or youth that we often see in anime. But the most "abstract" example is of course the return to the paradise of Eden which was what Human Instrumentality attempted to do, in my view.

[@Wanderinglustfulpony]

Thank you

[@ArchiduquesaMA]

Cant believe this content is free

[@smoshfan439]

This is basically quantum mechanics and trust me it’s hard to mention quantum mechanics next to the word “basically”

[@lovecraft3901]

is the part in "anxiety is the dizziness of freedom" supposed to be mute halfway through it?